Regular physical exercise is important for physical fitness. Some people do not engage in physical exercise until they are able to expend the energy constructively. In devising an apparatus for constructive physical exercise that would intake, store, and output mechanical energy for the generation of electricity, I invented the Power-Loop. It became apparent that different embodiments of the apparatus could be: made for utilizing all sources of mechanical energy such as for example tidal energy, wave energy, solar energy, wind energy, the weight of animals walking, and any combination of sources of mechanical energy, for the generation of electricity.
The Tide Motor, patented Jan. 6, 1914, by W. Braundsdrop showed a closed loop apparatus for the input, storage, and output of energy generated by the rising and lowering of the tide. My apparatus differs from this and all other prior art in that the lengthening of the active segment in my invention is not limited by the shortening of the inactive segment because these two segments have different paths. In the prior art, the active and inactive segments of the closed loop have a common path so that the lengthening of the active segment is limited by the shortening of the inactive segment. Comparing my invention with devices having closed loops of equal size using the prior art, with my invention essentially all of the stored potential energy can be released as rotational energy whereas with the prior art only about half of the stored potential energy can be released as rotational energy.
The xe2x80x9cPower-Loopxe2x80x9d apparatus is a zero-emission, non-polluting closed loop apparatus for the concurrent and intermittent input of mechanical energy, the indefinite storage of potential energy, the output of a continuous flow of kinetic mechanical energy when desired, and the output of essentially all of the stored potential energy as kinetic mechanical energy.
The Power-Loop can be constructed in various embodiments and in any suitable size so that any source or combination of sources of mechanical energy can be input into the apparatus; and the output can be used for any suitable purposes such as for the generation of electricity.
The Power-Loop method comprises the use of an apparatus having a closed loop in combination with using at least one of the following: means for storing potential energy indefinitely; means for the output of a continuous flow of kinetic mechanical energy; means for the output of kinetic mechanical energy when desired; and means for the output of essentially all of the stored potential energy as kinetic mechanical energy.